


Tunnel Vision

by Lansfics7



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, Arguing, BAMF Peter Parker, BAMF Tony Stark, Ever - Freeform, Hospital, How Do I Tag, Hurt Peter Parker, I Tried, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Marvel Universe, Near Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Break, Peter Parker is a Mess, Peter doesnt listen, Precious Peter Parker, Protective MJ, Protective Ned Leeds, Protective Peter Parker, Rhino Marvel, Tony Angst, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Whump, Yelling, mcu - Freeform, new enemy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:40:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21706885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lansfics7/pseuds/Lansfics7
Summary: My first oneshot! It starts out like a normal day, but when Tony finds out there's been an attack on the bridge in Queens, with a bus from Peter's school, things take a turn and Tony can't exactly tell the kid to stand down.
Relationships: Michelle Jones & Peter Parker
Comments: 30
Kudos: 224





	Tunnel Vision

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lolcupcake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lolcupcake/gifts).



> Helloooo! It’s great to be back 🙃  
> Sorry this is a little later than advertised- life took hold and I’ve been super busy but I had a lot of fun with this oneshot! Thank you so much to lolcupcake for giving me this idea- I hope I did it justice!!!  
> Enjoy!

**Present**

Tony puts his head in his hands. He stares at the white door that leads to the operation room. The nurse had just told him Peter has died on the table 3 times so far. Tony can't bear to hear it again, let alone the words, _he's gone_.

Tony rubs his graying hair and folds his shaky hands together, tightly clenching them and resting his chin on top, trying to steady his breathing. He has flashbacks from when he entered the back door of the med bay, Peter bloodied and unresponsive in his arms. They put him on that table and strapped the oxygen mask to his face and he was almost recognizable. Tony's staff said nothing of the red and blue suit that was covering Peter's body; all they saw was a 16 year old kid fighting for his life. Tony fought to go with them, not wanting to leave Peter's side but eventually his strength left him as 2 nurses pushed him back. As the doors swung shut in his face he stared in disbelief at the teenager who looked so fragile on the white sheets of the cart, now stained red with blood. The shouts of the doctors calling out the severity of Peter’s injuries echoed down the hallway, bouncing around in Tony’s head. The door closed fully and Tony stared through the window until he was wheeled out of sight. Then he slowly turned, gulping down a sob and stumbled to a chair, collapsing in it.

A security guard was now placed at the white door that Tony had his eyes glued to, in case Tony tried to get inside again, but he could barely move at the moment. The man's face is not angry, but compassionate. He hadn't seen Tony like this. Ever.

The images ran through Tony's whirling mind again and again. His hands were trembling furiously. That couldn't have been Peter being wheeled away, covered in blood...that boy was too broken to be the lively, energetic, brilliant kid he had grown to love- the one he was supposed to protect.

Tony is having trouble breathing and he can't see straight. He can't lose this kid. He'd switch places with him in an instant, he would. Tony knew if they switched places he would probably die from the severity of the wounds since he didn't have abilities like Peter, but he didn't care. He would rather have Peter alive then live in a world without that sarcastic teenager. But fate would have it that Peter's dying on that table instead of him, the only thing keeping him alive is that kid's fight and his healing factor.

But was it fate? Or just his fault? Tony hadn't gotten him here fast enough. He hadn't done enough. He had made the call in the first place. That's what started this all. Peter would still be in his Spanish classroom, acing the test if he hadn't called him. This was his fault. 

Tony presses his hands to his temples and listens to his pounding heart. His breathing is uneven and the room is silent, but maybe that's because his hearing his muffled. He looks like a mess, he knows that, and he doesn't care. There's a long cut on the side of his head. Multiple nurses have asked if he wanted to get it stitched up. Tony always declined. Peter was in there- close to 100 times worse. Tony can deal with a cut. It's the least he can do. The literal least. 

Tears form in the eyes that never cry and Tony ducks his head, his chest aching at the thought of losing his kid.

How did he let this happen?

**8 Hours Earlier**

"HURRY UP!" Tony yelled, honking the horn. Peter grabbed his backpack and sprinted to the car outside, hopping in so fast and with so much force that he almost catapulted into the driver's seat onto Tony.

Tony pushed him back over, shoving a backpack out of his face, "WHAT THE-" 

"DRIVE!" Peter screeched, yanking his seat belt over his chest. 

"I AM!" Tony slammed his foot down on the accelerator and they sped down the driveway, Tony skidding around the curve and flying out onto the main road. "How many times are you gonna be late to school?" he demanded, and speeding faster. "This is very unsafe. Don't do this when you're an adult."

"Uh uh-" Peter said, rolling his eyes. "And it's however many times you decide to make me do an early morning boxing lesson and then hide my suit!"

"I didn't hide your suit!" Tony said in exasperation, "You had it hidden in a pile that I so happened to move! There was no relation in that sequence of events!"

Peter waved his hands, "I only shoved it in there because MJ came over and I forgot I left it out-"

"MJ came over?" Tony raised an eyebrow. 

"Yes," Peter said quickly. "To _study_. We're _friends._ "

Tony grinned, "To study? Or to-"

"Stop," Peter rolled his eyes. "We're friends."

Silence. Peter risked a glance over at Tony who was raising his eyebrow. Peter groaned and slouched in his seat, hiding his face with his backpack. "FRIENDS!"

"Ok," Tony laughed, "Ok."

About 20 minutes later, they pull up to school, ACDC's Back in Black blaring from the speakers. "I'll be at the compound a little late today, we're driving back around 4:30. And look at that! Six minutes to spare," Peter says proudly, showing Tony his watch.

"Wow, amazing, look at that-" Tony says sarcastically, "now it's 5 minutes."

"Shoot," Peter yelps.

"Ok, skedaddle there young buck," Tony waves him out of the car.

"Thank you Tony- thank you!" Peter grins, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as Tony's car pulls away, the song still audible even some ways down the street. He shakes his head, jogging up the steps and entering the school. 

He sees Ned halfway down the hallway and waves him down. His best friend grinned and met him in the center of the hallway, doing their signiture handshake. 

"I studied for the Spanish test all night," Peter groaned. 

"I'm not taking it," Ned teased. 

Peter scoffed, "Right. Field trip." Ned had signed up for a day and a half field trip. He'd be getting back tomorrow afternoon and was prepared to tell Peter all about it. 

"Don't sound too excited," MJ teased, walking up to meet them. "Hey Peter."

"Hey MJ," he smiled. "You going too?"

"Yep," she nodded, then frowned, "But I'm bringing books. It's gonna be boring."

"Are you kidding me?" Ned said excitedly, "We get to go to the Spy museum!"

MJ rolled her eyes, looping her hands around her backpack arms on her shoulders, "We get to _walk through_ the spy museum to get to where we're going, there's a big difference. Hey, why didn't you go again Peter?"

"Forgot to turn in forms," Peter lied. Ned grinned. The real reason was that tomorrow morning Peter was testing out a new prototype for his suit with Tony.

"Plus I have the behind the wheel driving thing with the school later, and I'm almost done so I don't want to do a make up day." That wasn't a lie. But he was going right to the compound after that to spend the night.

MJ nodded and shrugged, then checked her watch, giving them the L sign, "Alright losers. See you later."

Peter and Ned waved and Ned punched him. 

"Ow!" Peter groaned. 

"You gonna just stand there like an idiot?" Ned asked.

"I thought I did very well," Peter protested. "I didn't stutter. At least I think I- I didn't stutter." 

"Yeah," Ned rolled his eyes. "Come on, I'll go with you to your locker and then we won't see each other for so long."

Peter sighed, "2 days Ned."

"Hey, can a guy not miss his best friend?" Ned laughed, following Peter up the steps. They both pressed their backs against the railing to let a group of cheerleaders past and then continued walking. 

"Crap," Peter then grumbled. "1 o'clock."

Ned followed his gaze. Flash and his buddies were walking down the stairs, taking up the entire row. Peter kept his gaze down until Flash slammed him in the shoulder harshly, "Watch where you're going Penis Parker," he grinned, his friends laughing in unison.

"Very funny," Peter laughed weakly and kept walking, Flash hitting his backpack as he passed. Flash shoved Ned too, who wasn't ready for it, and Peter's instantly threw his hand back without looking and grabbed his friend's shoulder, righting his balance. Peter turned, glaring at the bully's back as they proceeded down the steps.

"Sometimes I'm really glad you're Spiderman," Ned whispered, gaining his stance back. 

Peter didn't answer. He jogged up the remaining steps and opened his locker, grabbing the binder's he needed for the day.

"Hey, Monday, after school, new Lego Millennium Falcon," Ned pointed at him. "Cool?"

Peter grinned, mentally adding it to his scedule, "Awesome. How many pieces?"

"1329," Ned said happily. 

"That's insane," Peter laughed. 

"It says ages 9-14 on the box."

"That's just a suggestion."

"Exactly," Ned agreed, holding out his hand as they did their handshake again. "See you man."

"Have fun. Read one of MJ's books if you get bored," Peter grinned. 

"How can you get bored when you go to a spy museum?" Ned asked.

Peter sighed, "You're not-"

"Let me have my 7 seconds of 'walking through' fun," Ned pleaded.

Peter laughed, clapping his friend on the back. "Bye Ned." His best friend clasped his hand back with a goofy grin and then walked down the hall as Peter went into his first class. The bell rang. 

* * *

Tony was in the lab with the TV on. It was a cooking show. He planned on having a special dinner tonight for Pepper. Some sort of Alfredo, her favorite, with salmon and broccoli. Tony was not the best cook, but he could make killer pancakes so if all else failed there was that. 

"You think if I ordered from a really fancy place and then put it in the oven, took it out while she was watching and served it, Pepper would think I made it?" Tony wondered, rubbing his chin. 

_"Let me remind you sir that you tried that exactly 134 days ago and you left the bag of the restaurant out."_

"Ok, well what if I didn't leave the bag out," he rolled his eyes. 

_"I cannot say,"_ FRIDAY responded with hesitation. 

Tony, about to focus on something, stopped, looked up and asked, "Can't say or don't want to say."

 _"I plead the fifth,"_ FRIDAY said. 

"One could make the case that since you are a robot and not a human, the Constitution doesn't apply to you. But then again that could mean you could do whatever you want and I really don't like those odds, so do me a favor, forget I said anything and turn up the TV," Tony announced, leaning forward to work on the suit. 

_"Good choice,"_ FRIDAY was grinning, he knew she was. 

Tony smirked and finished with the screwdriver so he bit the end of it, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. Spitting out the metal, Tony pushed the piece that he still had to fit in with minimal strength, sighed, and then pushed harder. It wouldn't click in. 

"Screw it," Tony announced, grabbing a hammer and whacking it into place. He tossed the hammer aside and mimicked flipping a collar, "FRIDAY, whoever said 'if it doesn't fit, whack it with a hammer' is a genius."

 _"Well sir, I don't see that exact quote on the internet,"_ FRIDAY announced. 

"Exactly. I'm a genius," Tony nodded. "Ok, test one. Drop my needle."

Jingle Bells started to play and Tony put his hands on his knees, probably looking like an excited kid but what the heck. "Action!"

The blaster he heated up started to shake slightly, sparking once. 

_"May I advise-"_

"Not yet," Tony shook his head, crossing his fingers. Then it started to smoke, spreading to the entire suit.

_"Sir-"_

"Give it a second," Tony said hopefully.

The suit started trembling, the iron clattering as it shook against each other. Tony started to back up slowly, grabbing the hammer. There was a small high pitched whistle that was slowly getting higher and higher. A part of the suit fell off and clattered to the ground. The arms started to spark. Then there was a pop in the chest and it got suddenly quiet. Too quiet.

"Abort!" Tony yelped, throwing his hammer at the suit and diving behind a table as it promptly blew up. Parts littered the wall and the smoking blaster dropped in front of Tony's lap, spinning to a stop.

"Well that was fun," he said, kicking it away. He peaked out over the table and then ducked again as the second blaster flew over him and shattered against the far wall.

"FRIDAY whatever that was, save it to the self destruct protocol," Tony grinned, retrieving his hammer and brushing himself off. 

_"Sir?"_

"Wow, that did not go exactly has planned. Maybe the cuff was too lose. The spark made sense that was just a wiring issue," Tony said, inspecting the parts of the suit that were littered around the back wall.

_"Tony!"_

Tony spun around in surprise, "What?"

 _"TV,"_ FRIDAY said quietly.

Tony faced the television. 

_"News helicopters are circling the Queensboro Bridge where there happens to be some sort of attack."_

Tony started walking forward, his eyes glued to the broadcast that came on in place of the cooking show. The red banner of ALERT ran across the screen.

_"It does not appear to be any form of international terrorism. From social media posts there seems to be some kind of machine wrecking havoc in the center of the structure. Multiple cars have flipped, there have already been 4 casualties."_

The reporter seemed to have a hard time reading the prompter, her voice shaking, " _Fires have started, the West side of the bridge has been hit several times with some sort of detonator. Sources say there is no way off the bridge; both sides are backed up with traffic and there is too much commotion for the victims to move anywhere. We will have live footage in a minute. Police are moving in on the scene and the arm forces have been called."_

She paused and then looked up again after looking off camera, _"We have footage._ _Viewer discretion is advised."_

Screaming filled the lab, terror and fear clear and evident in the shouts. There was chaos. The footage was filmed from a shaky camera, someone frantically running away from something that was smashing cars in it's wake. Fires raged in cars as one was tossed effortlessly up and came crashing down on thankfully an empty car. It then switched to a helicopter view of the bridge. Tony's eyes found the yellow bus before the reporter did. 

_"God Carl, there's a bus on there as well,"_ the reporter gasped. 

Tony's heart stopped. No. No, no, no, no-

_"A school bus from Midtown School of Science and Technology is stranded-"_

"Call Peter," Tony said quietly. "FRIDAY, call Peter!"

 _"Calling Peter Parker,"_ FRIDAY said quickly. 

Tony paced, rubbing his head with his hands. He called a suit and it wrapped around his body, transferring the call to his headset as he burst out of the lab and sprinted down the hallway, jumping over the landing and slamming into the floor so hard it cracked. He fired up his boosters and took off, the ceiling opening up as he burst through the roof exit, begging the phone to pick up. 

Peter didn't say anything about a field trip, did he? Or maybe it was a last minute one? May had signed something the other day hadn't she? And what was that that Peter had said when he was getting out of the car? 

_Peter grabbed his backpack and looked over at Tony who was resting his hand calmly on the steering wheel. The kid had said,_ _"I'll be at the compound a little late today, we're driving back around 4:30."_

We're driving back.... no. No. God, no. Please... Kid pick up your dang-

 _"What the heck?"_ Peter whispered harshly, _"I just had to fake having to throw up to get out of my Spanish test!"_

Relief flooded him completely, and Tony exhaled, dipping in the air as he shot off toward the bridge. A weight lifted off his shoulders; Tony had never been so glad to hear the kid's voice in his entire life. He swallowed down a sob and his voice broke, "Thank God-"

_"Thank God what?"_

"You're not on the bus," Tony gulped, steadying himself as he shot across the sky.

The teen's tone changed immediately, going dead serious. " _Tony, what's going on?"_

"Nothing," he gasped out, still trying to calm down. Peter was safe. Peter was safe. "Nothing, kid."

 _"You're a terrible liar-"_ Suddenly the kid stopped talking. 

Tony spoke urgently into the phone, his heart pummeling to his stomach as he realized Peter had probably just somehow seen the report, "Pete?"

No. Nononono- he was supposed to be safe! No-

 _"Oh God..."_ Peter whispered. 

* * *

His phone started buzzing on Question 40. Peter discretely reached down and flipped it over in his backpack, flicking his eyes over to it. Upon seeing it was Tony he cursed to himself and tapped his pencil busily against his desk, his eyes flicking back and forth. He had to answer. He had to. Ok, what to do-

Ahgggggg. Crap.

Peter winced, squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. Then put a hand over his mouth and fell out of his seat, falling on his backpack and grabbing his phone as he did so. After slipping it into his sweatshirt pocket he grabbed his stomach and buckled over, coughing. He scrambled to his feet and fake wretched, keeping a hand over his mouth as he looked up fearfully at his teacher who's eyes widened. 

"Peter-"

Peter gagged again, stumbling for the door and his teacher stood up, waving him on in half disgust and half concern, "Go- go- no pass- go-"

He gladly left the room, spluttering loudly and started jogging down the hallway, cutting out the act as he turned the corner. He quickly took out his phone and slid it to answer before the call could end and hastily put it to his ear. 

"What the _heck_?" Peter whispered harshly into the speaker, his voice sounding really high pitched, "I just had to fake having to throw up to get out of my Spanish test!"

He heard Tony breath a sigh of relief and the man was silent for a bit before he said, _"Thank God-"_ Tony's voice cracked with emotion and Peter was immediately on high alert. 

"Thank God what?" he said slowly, hearing Tony trying to steady his breathing. 

_"You're not on the bus,"_ Tony said softly.

Peter's eyes narrowed and he froze next to his principal's office, which the man thankfully wasn't in. His tone sobered instantly, dead serious. Peter spoke slowly and calmly. "Tony, what's going on?"

 _"Nothing,"_ Tony gasped out, seemingly still trying to calm down. _"Nothing kid."_

Peter scoffed, shaking his head and crossing his arm over the other. "You're a terrible liar-" Peter turned to look into the principal's office when suddenly his eyes caught sight of the TV screen mounted on his wall. He cut off, his heart stopping as he stared at the news broadcast.

Tony spoke urgently into the phone, _"Pete?"_

"Oh God..." Peter whispered. 

_"Peter-"_

"N-ned's on that bus!" Peter spluttered, "MJ's on that bus-" His heartbeat started to quicken. He ran his free hand through his hair. 

_"I know- Peter I'll take care of it,"_ Tony promised firmly.

Peter slowly started backing away, shaking his head in disbelief, his eyes plastered to the orange school bus that was plainly visible from the road. "No, no, nonono- Tony! My friends are in there, my friends are in there!"

_"Peter, stop!"_

"I'm coming," Peter muttered. He was already turning and starting to jog back to his class, turning it into a sprint. "Queensboro Bridge," he relayed to himself. "I'll be there in a couple minutes- I'm coming- I'm-"

 _"NO!"_ Tony yelled, sending Peter skidding to a stop. He had never heard Tony yell like that, especially not with that such intensity, except for when he had taken away his suit. But this was even worse than that time.

"What the heck do you mean, 'no'?" he demanded furiously. 

_"I mean NO!"_ Tony yelled again and Peter winced from the feedback. _"You STAY at school where you're SAFE! I'll take care of it-"_

"You're hilarious if you think I'm gonna stay here and take a freaking Spanish quiz while my best friends are about to die!" He snarled back, picking back up his sprint. 

_"Peter I'm not kidding,"_ Tony said. His yell had changed into his dangerously quiet tone, which was worse, _"Stay. Where. You. Are."_

"No," Peter said. "I can't Tony, you don't understand- I CAN'T, ok?!" He reached his Spanish classroom. 

_"PETER listen to me-"_ If he was in his right mind he would have realized that Tony wasn't demanding at this point, he was pleading, begging Peter to stay. But Peter had tunnel vision. His friends were in danger and he would not stand by while they were in danger or if they could die- it would be his fault. His best friend since 1st grade, his guy in the chair- him and Ned were inseparable, and he promised himself he wouldn't let anything happen to him. Or MJ...Mj, the girl he liked but would never admit it or say it to her directly, afraid of what she would say back. He was not sitting this one out. 

"NO!" There were tears in his eyes as he let out a heartbroken scream. "Tony I can't- I have to-" He slammed his body into the door, bursting through out.

 _"PET-"_ Tony shouted at the top of his lungs. Peter squeezed his eyes shut as hung up the phone and shoved it back in his pocket angrily. He ignored his Spanish teacher and all of the student's weird and shocked looks as he went straight for his backpack, grabbed it, and then sprinted out. He ran down the hallway and slammed open the front door, shoving on his mask in the blind spot of the cameras and jumping the fence. He staggered as his feet hit the ground, picking up speed as he ran towards the city. 

* * *

Tony screamed into his helmet, blasting for the bridge. He called Peter back and got a dial tone. He called again, this time using his emergency call which should have automatically connected despite Peter answering or not. Surprisingly, the call still ended, meaning Peter had overrode it somehow. He didn't remember giving Karen the authority to do that. He was almost sure he didn't, meaning that was another 'touch-up' Peter had made on the suit...probably for this exact reason. 

Furious with the kid, but somehow still not angry, he realized the best thing he could do was to get rid of whoever this was before Peter got here. That way he would be safe. 

"FRIDAY what am I looking at?" he asked, pulling up news footage on his screen from the helicopters that he can hear circling ahead as he powered up his blasters and flew even faster. 

_"I'm not sure,"_ the A.I. sounded confused. 

"Ok if it’s not a what then _who_ is it?” Tony said swerving around the building, getting the bridge in his sights. Helicopters flew overhead adn the news broadcast changed, filming him shooting across the water. Tony flicked it away and zoomed in on the figure in the center of the havoc as he flew towards it. 

_"Getting facial recognition-"_

Tony knit his eyebrows, "Facial recognition?"

_"I can see his face, his suit doesn't cover it- wait...sir, the armor is permanently fused on his form."_

"That's...normal," Tony said slowly. "Ok, well then this better hurt." Finally at the bridge, he slammed into the ground on one knee and fired up his blasters, sending a beam at the monster that was tossing empty cars of the bridge. 

"Everybody back up!" he yelled, blasting his external speaker, "Get behind me now! Let's move people!"

 _"He is definitely enhanced,"_ FRIDAY relayed his vitals.

Tony ducked as a car flew over his head and helped someone to their feet as the ground shook and trembled. "You good? You good? Go! Go! Work together people, let's move, let's go!"

He looked back over his shoulder, "Yeah, I get that FRIDAY, he's strong. Who the heck is he?" Tony shot another blast and flew closer, putting out fires where he could. Peopel were trying to pull up a car that was hanging off the side of the bridge and Tony flew over.

"Back up! Back up!" He jumped off the side and hovered right by the window. "Hold on, ok ma'am? You can do that? Good." He went underneath, gripping the car with both hands. Effortlessly, and as lightly as he could he pushed the car back onto the bridge. Without stopping to be thanked he started forward again down the bridge and locked the camera on the main cause of the chaos.

 _"Aleksei Sytsevich. A thug in the Russian Mafia,"_ FRIDAY reported. _"Black market source that you exposed last year says he went under some intense, life-threatening series of chemical and radiation treatments."_

"So we got a wanna be Hulk? That's just great. How many people on the bridge?" Tony's mind was whirling, batting away debris and shielding a family. "Go! Go, go go!" he yelled, firing back as they ran to safety. Tony spun and fired, shooting up to catch another car that had been tossed in the air. He had to get the drop on this guy or at least get him to stop throwing crap so Tony could not worry about the civilians getting hit. "Has he deliberately killed anyone yet?" Tony asked, wondering if this was purposeful throwing or a kid throwing toys in a temper tantrum.

 _"Checking social media- no not deliberately. We're up to 5 casualties though,"_ FRIDAY reported sadly. _"I think he's just getting started. His vitals are surprisingly low."_

"Well he's competing with Banner in terms of anger issues," Tony grumbled, getting another group of people to safety. He narrowed his eyes, "Therapy session later. Hit him with Rhodey's x-wife, contain the blast. I need backup suits coming to guide citizens off this section of the bridge. Tell me when you get reports of Spiderman on news ok? And where is that bus?"

A massive missile formed and shot forward, a fireball exploding in the air, making a direct hit. The monster roared and Tony grinned, "I think he's pissed. Let's go say hi."

_"Bus is overturned. No one is severely hurt. 800 meters away straight ahead, left side."_

Tony shot forward, weaving in between cars and broken road, repairing giant splits in the bridge where he could so the bridge wouldn't collapse in on itself. Heating up his blaster he landed on one knee and hit the monster in the chest, blasting him backward. The man in the suit tumbled to a stop and got to all fours, snarling and grunting, ripping up the already blackened road.

"Did that thing even make a dent?" Tony marveled. The smoke cleared completely and something was sticking out of the monster's forehead. At first he thought it was debris, thinking the fight would already be over with a puncture wound like that but apparently not. 

"Is that a horn? Looks like a freaking Rhino," Tony said, not wasting any time and firing a beam straight at it's chest to keep him backward while the civilians that had been huddled around the Rhino got to their feet and ran for safety.

 _"That's the point sir,"_ FRIDAY said back.

"EVERYONE OFF THE BRIDGE!" Tony yelled, looking around at the chaos. He risks one hand to put out a fire so a family can escape down the side of the bridge. He returns the beam, twice the power and scans around, shouting to FRIDAY, "I need suits on fire and rescue now!"

 _"They're coming in now sir,"_ she said back.

Tony saw the swarm in the air, heading for the bridge. That would help. But how to kill this guy?

"Get a perimeter as far back as you can. Clear the other side as well-" Tony had been looking behind him, still keeping up the beam with both hands when suddenly he was hit hard in the chest, thrown off the bridge and plummeting towards the water. 

He cursed and flailed, firing up his boosters and stabilizing himself just in time. He groaned, looking at the dent in his armor. It was quickly being fixed, but still, that wasn't normal.

"Ow!" he said angrily. "Oh, he's _dead_." He fired up his missiles and shot through the air, knocking the Rhino off his feet and throwing him back a good hundred yards. He got up and Tony hit him again, harder. The Rhino swiped and Tony ducked, blasting him in the back as he slammed into the far side of the bridge. 

The weight and force made the entire structure tilt, and the man inside the suit cursed loudly, slamming his foot down on the ground, making it crack and tremble, bits of rubble tumbling down into the water below. 

_"Spiderman just spotted on news,"_ FRIDAY reported.

Tony cursed, "Ok man, gotta wrap this up. The kid's coming."

Screams calmed down along the bridge as Tony's suits landed and led whoever they could to safety. The Rhino started forward and swiped, Tony blasting into the sky just as the massive arm passed over his head. Suddenly a hand grabbed his ankle and Tony was yanked down, slamming into the hard concrete with a groan. 

_"Multiple concussions detected,"_ FRIDAY reported. 

"Yeah, I detected those too," Tony groaned, firing up his leg boosters and sliding out of the way as a fist had a crater where his chest would have been. He shot a blast and the Rhino blocked it with it's arm, ignoring the now shared skin that was covered in scrapes...or maybe it was armor? He couldn't tell.

"Aleksei, play nice!" Tony shouted, grabbing the piece of the bridge the Rhino had just ripped off and swung at him, blasting it into 2 and smacking the other half away from a man and woman trying to run to safety before it could hit them.

"The bus FRIDAY, give me something- send a suit. There are kids in there." Tony said urgently, blasting the Rhino backward and knocking him across the face. He yanked off a car door and swung, the metal shattering against the monster's stomach before firing another missile which did more damage then the door but less than he had hoped. 

But now the Rhino had turned, as if ignoring him, which pissed Tony off for a second until he realized why. Two kids were backed into a corner, the Rhino heading right for them. Tony spun and saw the mother, held back by either a bystander or relative, screaming and yelling. Tony shot forward, getting in front of the man and skidding to a stop, blasting him backwards, one of his nano particle clamps following the tumbling form and locking it's leg to the bridge.

"Ok, that will hold him. Hey," Tony said, kneeling in front of the 2 little kids who were shaking with tears streaming down their faces. "It's all fine. It's all ok. You know who I am?"

The little boy nodded firmly, looking at him with wide eyes. 

"Good. I'm glad kid," he said, helping both of them to their feet and flipping up his helmet, doing a quick check over his shoulder. "You good at tag?" The girl nodded this time with her brother and he gave her an encouraging smile.

"Ok, I'm gonna take care of Mr. Bad Guy over there and you go run as fast as you can to your mom, ok? Can you do that for me? You're the future of this country, I need you to sprint, you got that? Good talk. Ok, ready?"

The 2 kids nodded as Tony stayed in front but led them forward, "Go, get out of here guys." He turned to face the struggling monster who tore off his clamp and clenched it in his fist. The shattered parts littered the concrete and Tony frowned. 

"Run!" he said firmly, flying forward and knocking the Rhino against the edge of the bridge. The 2 kids were already halfway to their mom and Tony held the Rhino against the railing as long as he could. Each punch was devastating- at least one ton of force slammed into him until he finally let go, satisfied he gave enough time. He spun out, regaining his composure and surveying who was left. The bus- he had to get to the bus-

He hovered higher above the bridge, the Rhino pounding the road to make him come down.

"You want me to come down there?" Tony called. "Give me a minute, kinda winded."

The man screamed something inaudible and tossed a car effortlessly. Tony batted it back to him and the Rhino crushed it with his bare hands, tossing the 2 pieces aside. 

Tony dove in again, slamming his fist into the dude's face and blasting his right arm. He flipped the Rhino, slamming it into the ground before blasting it into the railing. He didn't wait, slicing his arm in a downward arc, his suit materializing into a knife, right down on the horn. It sunk in about an inch and a half and stuck there. Tony yanked but it wouldn't budge. Oh shoot.

Tony froze, dangling from the horn when the Rhino straightened, due to his knife being his arm. He grinned down at the man awkwardly, "Hey, how's it g-"

Roaring, the Rhino grabbed him by the chest and flung him down. Tony hit the ground hard, cracking the road and groaning. The sun was in his eyes but he could still see the massive shadow looming over him as the Rhino brought up his foot to stop down on Tony's chest. 

THWAP

Crap. 

* * *

Peter swung in, landing on the top of the bridge. He shot a web and swung again, leaping in mid air, swinging as fast as he could using the supportive beams to fling himself forward. 

"Karen, where's Tony?" he asked urgently, already setting his eyes on the bus that was overturned at the other end of the bridge. There was suddenly a large roar and Peter narrowed his eyes, focusing on a rather large object facing off with Iron Man.

 _"I think you found him,"_ Karen said weakly. 

Tony could handle...whatever that was. "I don't want to know," he told Karen, flinging himself forward as hard as he could towards the bus.

He shot one more web, this one lower and slowly descended, breaking the harsh fall by jumping off a car and rolling as he hit the ground. He sprinted the rest of the way towards the bus and skidded to a stop by the window, hearing the screams of help from inside. The doors were jammed by 2 cars when it had turned over and the windows were too small for anyone to get out. 

He climbed up on top, pushing a car off that had crushed the side of it. It fell harshly to the ground, letting out an exhale of dust and glass as it crumpled in on itself. Peter shattered a bit of the window with his elbow and screamed inside, making a decision. Peter would have to lift it. He could do that. "Everybody hang on!"

"It's Spiderman!" Flash yelled, everyone pressing against the windows to look at him. 

"Yes!" Ned yelled, pumping his fists and jumping up and down on the roof. 

"Hey- hey big guy quit movin around," Peter called, motioning for everyone to settle down.

"I'm sorry sir, so sorry," Ned said in happy relief.

Peter surveyed the bus, picking up the car on the side and tossing it across the street where it screeched to a halt by the railing. He circled back and waved his hands. "I'm gonna get you out of here, ok? Just help me out- stay in your seats and brace."

Peter's gaze flicked back and forth, shooting two webs on the top of the bus that was currently sideways, sticking it to the bridge's railing for extra support. Then he went over and crouched, grabbing onto the bottom of the bus. 

"Not kidding! Hang on!"

He saw Ned through the shattered window, a cut on his head but otherwise ok. His friend gave him a weak smile of relief and braced against the seat. Peter lifted the bus, getting it to about his chest height before he got his back underneath it and started to slowly push it higher. 

The weight wasn't bad; he and Tony had been discussing how truly strong he was and it was scary. It was just that Peter knew the impact of the bus' full flip could give a lot worse than whiplash and he didn't want any of his friends, or even Flash, hurt. 

He strained to keep it steady and slowly lowered it, grabbing on to the rails underneath and grabbing the windowsill for support. When he was confident it wasn't going to fall that hard he finally let go of the top, letting it fall while he pulled the bottom, letting it carry him up as his feet scraped along the pavement. The bus righted itself with a crash and Peter dropped from his grip on the top of the bus. He broke off the Emergency Door that had been dented in and tossed it aside.

Wide eyes from all of his friends, limp in their seats, stared back at them. He held out his hand and waved it, "Let's go! What are you waiting for? Everybody out!" Peter sighed, gesticulating.

"I've got ya, it's all gonna be fine," he assure everyone, letting them jump down from the bus. MJ gave him a thankful look, but there was a hint of suspicion in it. Peter froze, coughed and attempted to lower his voice. 

"You ok ma'am?" he asked.

"Yes," she smiled weakly and Peter made sure she got down ok before reaching out to help the next person.

He helped Ned out and clapped him on the shoulder in relief, "I saw the news and- just be safe ok? Good to see you man."

Ned tackled him in a hug and Peter pretended to act surprised, patting his best friend on the back but wishing he could have hugged him longer, relived he was ok. "Alright. Buddy...ok..."

Ned got the message and pulled back, "Thank you Spiderman."

"Yeah, yeah, no problem. Look, is anyone severely hurt?" he asked. When he was satisfied everyone was ok he turned to the group of terrified but determined kids. Peter took a breath, looking over his shoulder at the monster who was still occupied with Tony. "Listen up! Try and get off the bridge. At least meet up with people, but get as far away from here as possible."

Peter's spider senses suddenly tingled and he did a back flip, jumping off the top of the bus and catching a car that had been tossed in their direction. He threw it back over his head with a desperate amount of off balanced strength, stopping it from hitting the group of students, instead sending it crashing into another empty one on the side of the bridge.

He fell, slamming into the ground. His chest exploded in pain from that impact and from sheer exhaustion- not from the physical toll so much as the mental. He grit his teeth and rolled over off his back and onto his stomach, getting to his hands and knees and pushing himself up. He groaned as he got to his feet, staggering to regain his balance before gulping down a deep breath of desperately needed oxygen. He looked over his shoulder and spoke to the concerned teens who had taken a step back when they saw the car.

Peter winced, holding his side, "Do not follow me, do you understand? You need to get off the bridge. Now."

"What about you?" Flash demanded and Peter smirked that the bully was concerned about him. Things would be a lot different if he took off the mask, wouldn't it?

"I've gotta do my job," Peter said simply, before waving his hands. "Get out of here, go! Go!"

He shot a web at the bridge and flung himself into the air, ignoring his throbbing side. He closed in on the monster just as Tony made a strike toward it's- was that a horn- 

His blade sank in and for a second Peter applauded in his mind, until Tony couldn't get his arm out. The blade was stuck there, leaving Tony dangling defenseless. He watched as the Rhino grabbed him by the chest and flung him down to the ground, so hard the pavement cracked. The Rhino brought up it's foot to crush him and Tony put up his hand to shield the hit. 

Peter dove.

* * *

Tony looked up and saw a very familiar webbing stuck to the Rhino's foot, stopping it from crushing him. The Rhino looked behind him only to get a powerful fist to the face and his foot was suddenly yanked out from underneath him. The monster slammed into the ground and Peter jumped down, landing gracefully next to him. 

He leaned over Tony and stuck out his hand. Tony, frustrated, clasped it and let Peter help him to his feet.

"You ok?" Peter asked urgently.

"You shouldn't be here," Tony said firmly.

"Oh, cause you had it all under control," Peter slurred. 

"Yeah, I did," Tony said, blasting the Rhino into an empty car over Peter's shoulder. The kid didn't even flinch. Instead he turned around to look at the very pissed off enemy trying to get to it's feet.

"What's his problem?" he asked, stepping back towards Tony, "And who is he? He doesn't talk much, he just yells and stuff."

"Explain later," Tony promised. "Your friends ok?"

"Yeah, they're getting off the other side of the bridge," Peter said, crouching. "How do we take out Rhino?"

"Haven't figured that out yet," Tony said, firing up a missile, making the man roar and shoot curses from within the suit. 

"He knows we can't hear him right?" Peter asked, his hand on the ground as he narrowed his eyes. 

"Don't think so. Let's get this over with," Tony snarled, locking on the weak points. "Go for the shoulder blades and center of his chest."

"Because his armor is the heaviest there meaning he's protecting something," Peter nodded in understanding. 

"Smart kid."

"I take after you." 

"FRIDAY said the suit is fused onto his body though, so this may be a problem."

"Well we always get the fun ones."

Tony shot forward and Peter swung himself up, landing on the Rhino's back and webbing his head, swinging up and yanking it down. The Rhino pitched backward and Tony hovered over his chest, leveling his palms and burning through at least one layer of armor as Peter held him down. 

Then the Rhino reached up and grabbed the web that was wrapped around his horn and yanked, surprising Peter with his strength and jerking him forward over his head, Peter went flying, his arms almost pulled out of his sockets, and that's considering a lot since Peter swings from building to building every day. The force sent him hurtling into the air. Peter twisted, letting go of the web and latched onto the top of the bridge, perching on a beam.

"You good kid?" Tony said through coms. 

"Well he's smart," Peter said angrily, swinging back down for a well placed punch.

"Actually, I think he's dumb," Tony said slowly, swerving to avoid a car door that sliced through the air an inch from his suit. "That was an armature move, he exposed his shoulder. I think this guy's an idiot. We'll use that."

"Yeah, give him a calculus test, he'll right sit down, fail, and then we can go home," Peter quipped, dropping back to the ground. 

"Ok smart aleck," Tony scoffed. 

"Just pointing out the facts," Peter announced, shooting a web at the approaching Rhino. He got in 2 good punches to the face before Tony took over, hitting the Rhino in the side of the head and slamming his blasters into his chest.

The Rhino went flying back and Peter webbed him, springing forward and pounding him again before he could even hit the ground. The monster crumpled, trying to get to it's feet and Tony raised his arm just slightly, his palm heating and lighting up before it fired, sending a crack through the nearest supporter for ht bridge. Tony blasted him in the stomach, letting him pass over and as he did and the Rhino turned, Peter shot a web a his horn and then slid under his legs, yanking hard and flipping the monster again onto his back. 

The Rhino suddenly batted Peter backward, catching the kid off guard and sending him crashing into a car. Peter shattered the window, bouncing off and slamming into the ground. Tony dove in to protect his kid but the Rhino hit him in the chest, sending him flying backward. Tony crashed into the ground, tumbling through a crack of the bridge and catching himself at the last second. He saw the Rhino running at Peter, gaining speed and he hurriedly attempted to get out, finding his suit was stuck under the nearest rod that ran through the bridge. 

"Peter!" Cursing, he looked up and saw the kid get up weakly, holding his side and clasping the hood of the car to raise himself. 

"Peter move!" Tony yelled again, trying to unhook his suit.

"I'm- I'm ok. I'm gonna try something," Peter responded through the com, pain evident in his voice but otherwise okay. He saw the suit's eyes narrow.

"Now is _not_ the time," Tony said urgently before he demanded, "MOVE!"

Peter stood his ground, crouching as the Rhino lowered his horn. Tony blew off the rod that was trapping his foot and shot forward towards the stubborn teenager. The Rhino was about to shove it's horn through Peter's chest before Tony could do anything when suddenly the kid darted a few feet aside, staggering away. Tony put out his hands to stop himself and hover in the air, dropping at Peter's side. 

The Rhino had ran right past Peter, unable to stop and pivot in time, instead barreling forward before he finally realized he did not hit his target. He crashed into a few cars ahead before finally turning around and slamming his fists into the ground. 

"I was right," Peter said breathlessly, grabbing Tony's arm. 

"You were stupid," Tony corrected, smacking him lightly on the back of his head but the kid was unphased, already bouncing on his toes, looking at the Rhino and then back at Tony in excitement. 

Peter waved his hands, "He can't turn easily- no- no balance! Can't bank corners!"

"Yeah, and you're lucky for that!" Tony said firmly. 

"I'm gonna do it again," Peter said and Tony grabbed his arm. 

"Hey- hey! We do this together, you got it?" Tony said firmly. 

"Fine," Peter grumbled.

"You run him once, then shove him into the railing, The least we can do is restrain him and try and knock him out if that's even possible," Tony said. 

"Got it," Peter said, swinging himself onto the nearest car pile and waving his hands, "Hey horny! Woah- that didn't come out right-"

Tony rolled his eyes and flew behind the charging bull as Peter jumped up to the top of the bridge as the Rhino passed under him, furious. Tony shot a blast at him, knocking him flat on his side, sending him sliding into a car. 

"Hey! Pick on someone your own size you freaking unicorn!" Tony shouted. He watched as the Rhino got to his feet and started running again as Tony braced, his boosters firing up so that he could blast off if needed to.

Peter then shot a web at the Rhino's arm as he started charging for Tony, sending him crashing into the railing of the bridge. The kid spun and went rapid fire with web grenades. Tony shot out 4 claps to hold down the Rhino's feet, digging them into the road. Peter shot more, running forward and grabbing the flailing hand that was ripping off the webs he had put up, twisting the man's arm around his back and webbing it in place before climbing over his chest, covering the Rhino in white sticky webs.

Tony fired up a blast at the remaining arm, charring it as Peter twisted that one in front of the Rhino, webbing it in place. 

"Hey that was-" Peter said, stepping back to admire his work when suddenly the Rhino ripped through the layers of webs and Tony's nano particle clamp. Peter jumped, webbing the Rhino's arms together and pulled backward, hopping over the railing and leaning back. 

Tony flew forward when Peter suddenly risked taking a hand off and pointed, "TONY!"

Tony spun and saw a family huddled against the railing, a fire raging around them. They were being pushed further and further to the edge and the piece of bridge that they were all crouched on was cracked, breaking from a weight of the car that was already hanging off the edge. 

"Let him go!" Tony demanded.

"GO!" Peter screamed back, straining to keep the thrashing Rhino pinned. 

Tony skidded to a halt, "I'm not leaving you alone!"

"TONY NOW!" Peter shouted at the top of his lungs.

Tony cursed, glaring at his kid before firing backwards towards the family. He saw the father's foot slip off the edge, trying to keep his kids from falling. Tony did a loop, diving down to catch the man who was hanging off the side of the bridge; he had caught a hold about 10 feet down.

"Good grip man, I've got ya," Tony assured. 

"My kids-" the man struggled. 

"I know, I'm getting them. Brace ok, I'm dropping you," he warned as he flew over the fire. The man did what he told him and bent his knees as Tony let him go. Then he circled to go back for the family.

"Take them!" she pleaded. He grabbed the 2 kids from the mom who practically pushed them into his arms.

Tony put out a lane of fire and hit the ground running, letting the kids scramble the rest of the way to their dad. Then he turned and fired up his blasters, shooting his way back to where the woman was holding onto the rail. 

"Ma'am just stay calm ok?"

Suddenly the car tilted forward and the bridge crumbled, the woman disappearing with a scream over the edge. Tony dove, spiraling down and catching her around the waist before shooting forward to avoid the rest of the falling rocks. He held her tight before blasting back up, skimming the water. He landed as gently as he could, helping her gain her footing.

Her husband kissed her, hugging her with relief, holding her and his kids in his arms. The bridge suddenly rumbled and Tony looked up, pushing the two parents aside because he knew he couldn't shelter that many people from the thing that was heading straight for the kids. He put his arm up to protect the two children, one of the main supporters falling down. It crashed into Tony's back, sliding off his armor as he held the 2 children tight against his chest. 

He opens his eyes and straightens, opening his arms. The parents get up from the ground and crouch by their kids, understanding in their gazes at why Tony pushed them back. He had saved their lives. 

"Thank you," the man said breathlessly. Tony let the boy go and didn't answer. 

Instead he spun and searched for his kid, and when he sees him he immediately fires up his boosters. His left boot isn't working. Tony looks back at Peter and runs. 

* * *

Peter was losing conciousness already, which really wasn't good. The Rhino had gotten lose, Peter had really underestimated his strength. Taking another hit, Peter staggered backwards, clutching his side. He saw the Rhino strike again and put up his arm to stop the hit, feeling his shoulder dislocate as the full force of the punch hit him in the side. 

He somehow maintained his footing, his mask half ripped, revealing half of his face, his display glitching, Karen's voice breaking in his ears. His breathing sounded lathered and he felt fresh blood on his lips and pouring out his nose, making it impossible to breath. He ducks the next swipe, trying not to collapse backward and catches sight of a car door. 

In a last desperate attempt he reaches for it, his hand clasping the handle just as he sees Tony rush into his view. Just as he brings the door up to hit the Rhino across the head-

Peter's gaze crumples.

He sees it coming.

Time goes slowly for Peter, slow enough that he can lock eyes with Tony, but fast enough that he knows there's no use.

Tony's run slows and he stares, emotions plastered all over his face. He sees Tony's mouth move but doesn't hear what he says. _Peter..._

Peter sees the horn sink deep into his stomach and the sound of it- it pounds in his head, the smoothness of the impale, cutting through his body. The Rhino's strike is ruthless, burying the point deep in his chest. Peter feels it come out the other side, and he gasps. Rushing blood echoes in his ears. 

"NO!"

Peter hears Tony scream, frozen in shock, the helmet receding to his neck as Tony scrambles down a pile of cars, his left boot sparking. The Rhino yanks out his horn and Peter looks down at the gaping hole in his chest and staggers. 

The Rhino brings it's hand back for a final strike when suddenly a missile hits it head on, blasting his enemy away. Tony's running, and Peter slowly moves his gaze to meet his again. He gasps for air, his movements sluggish. He feels his foot fall into empty air as his vision tunnels and with a hand soaked in blood trying to cover his wound, and with eyes that have not left Tony's, Peter slips, disappearing over the edge of the bridge. 

* * *

"Come on!" Flash yells, waving the group forward as soon as they push the next car aside, "we have to go!"

Ned doesn't follow the group. He stops running and curses, looking behind him. His best friend is back there, risking his life. He can't leave him. Ned freezes and the group runs ahead, weaving in between cars to get to safety. He watches them until they're gone, the only reason for hesitating being that he knows Peter will kill him for staying behind. But he doesn't care. He starts walking backwards and then turns to run, nearly jumping out of his skin.

"It's Peter isn't it," the person in front of him asks softly. 

Ned stares at MJ. He doesn't answer. The tears in his eyes speak for themselves.

"He's Spiderman?" she asks again.

Again, Ned doesn't answer that question. Instead he says, "He saved us. He's saved me twice now. I'm not leaving him."

She nods and turns with him, "Let's go."

They run forward just in time to see Iron Man jump off the side of the bridge, his suit falling away. Ned lets out a shriek as they run for the edge. When they finally get there they skid to a stop and cautiously look over at the water. Ned's arm shoots out and he and MJ stagger back as Iron Man blasts up, spraying them with water, before landing gently in the center of the bridge, holding someone in his arms. 

"Peter," MJ gasps. 

She and Ned scramble over, swerving around crashed cars as they get to Tony who is in a new suit. MJ covers her mouth with her hand as she reaches the scene and Ned is horrified at how much blood there is. Peter's not breathing, he's limp, half of his mask ripped off, his body limp in Tony's arms. 

”Peter? Kid, hey wake up. Wake up Peter, hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey- no- no, no, no-“

Ned suddenly looks up and sees cars being tossed aside, and screams echoing on the other side of the bridge. 

"Mr.- Mr. Stark-" he points. 

"I don't care," Tony says angrily. He doesn't care. All he cares about is Peter. Ned had underestimated the bond between the two.

MJ suddenly places a hand on his shoulder, "Mr. Stark, we know." Ned knew she meant about Spiderman. He sees a fraction of Tony's protectiveness ease away. 

MJ nods, "We'll take care of him. I know CPR. We can help, I promise."

Tony looks up at her and pulls Peter closer to him before he finally lowers him to the ground. He squeezes Peter's shoulder and whispers, "I'm coming back for you kid." Then he turns to MJ. "You wake him up." It's not an order, it's a plea. 

"Yes sir," she says firmly, already starting chest compressions. Ned kneels by his best friend's side and takes off his jacket, wrapping it around Peter's wound to try and stop the bleeding, maintaining a good amount of pressure.

Tony's helmet comes down over his face and after one more look at Peter's unconscious body, being jolted by MJ's hits, he mutters a curse with a broken voice and shoots towards the Rhino. 

MJ pulls off what remains Peter's mask revealing the entirety of his bloody face. She suddenly turns him to the side. Peter coughs up way too much water than should be humanly possible, gasping and choking down a scream of pain. His hands turn into fists and he cries out as he flexes his shoulder, trembling and letting out small exhales of pain with every breath, staring down at the jacket that's turning red. 

"N-Ned," he murmurs, suddenly grabbing his stomach and writhing.

Ned holds him still but grins weakly, "Hey man."

Peter's gaze turns and his brow furrows, "MJ-"

"Surprise loser. Don't you die on me, I'll kill you," she demands, but there is fear in her voice, a tear dropping onto her cheek. "Stay with us, ok? Stay with us," she says quickly, snapping to get Peter's attention. 

Peter murmurs something inaudible, his head falling against the pavement.

MJ grabs his good shoulder and speaks forcefully. "No tapping out on my watch," she demands. 

"Peter we have to build the Lego Star Wars set still," Ned blurts out, adjusting his position with the jacket, "and the new movie isn't even out."

Peter's eyes grow heavy and he winces, licking his lips which just smears the blood. His breathing is lathered and raspy and Ned's heart is breaking. He had never seen his best friend this broken, or in this much pain. There was a literal hole through his body...losing Peter- no. He couldn't lose his best friend. 

"Tony's coming back, he's almost here," Ned assures Peter who opens his eyes at that. 

"Stay with us Peter, please, Tony's coming, he's coming back," MJ pleads.

"Stay with us Peter...."

* * *

Tony slams his fist hard into the horn that is stained with blood- Peter's blood. With a roar of anger, his vision red, Tony clamps down on the man's throat. He recedes his helmet, staring the man in the suited skin right in the eyes. 4 suits fly up to him and level their arms, penetrating the 2 weak spots.

Tony feels the heat against his cheeks and doesn't care. His eyes flash and he snarls, grabbing the horn and breaking it off with one big yank, right where his knife had sunk into it the first time. The man howls and Tony flips him over his shoulder before blasting him in the side. The Rhino grabs onto the railing to keep from falling, but Tony refuses to stop there.

He jumps forward, kicking him off the bridge. 

The Rhino flails and Tony jumps after him, slamming into his stomach and pushing him faster, making sure he hits the water, hard. He then hovers above the surface, tossing the horn into the murky waves.

With all of his anger, Tony is prepared to dive in and drown him on the spot.

He snarls, "FRIDAY?"

 _"He won't survive,"_ she says quietly, confirming the Rhino's death, shocked only slightly at Tony's ruthlessness. Tony returns to the bridge, setting down at the edge and he stumbles. But he ignores the pain. He ignores the long cuts in his armor and the way he can barely see with so much red. He shoots back over to where he had left the kid. Peter's still laying down, but at least he's moving. Barely. 

His friends are around him, Ned holding a jacket to Peter's wound and MJ holding him in her arms, keeping him awake. The bridge is breaking, both sections crumbling and the kids look up in fear. This fight is done, but all is not over. Fires rage and the ground shakes, cracking.

"Thank you," he says urgently, putting his hand on MJ's arm. "I've got him, now go!"

"We can't leave him!" Ned says firmly. 

"Look, if I have to worry about both you of you, Peter dies. I need you kids safe, the structure is about to fall apart and I can't carry all 3 of you! If not for me, for Peter. Now."

Shooting their best friend a look, the 2 teenagers realize he's right. They help each other up and run to jump onto the safe side of the bridge, just as it crumbles. They make it and look back one last time before sprinting to safety. 

Peter licks his lips. "T-Tony?"

"I'm here kid," Tony says, trying to smile. He laughs, his voice breaking, "You did good. I'm gonna get you out of here now, ok?" Tony kneels down, putting a hand on Peter's back. He raises him and Peter cries out in pain, staggering against Tony. The ground shakes and Tony walks forward with Peter leaning heavily against his side, pressing a palm to the kid's bloodied chest, his fingers clasped over Peter's own trembling hand.

"Come on Pete, we need to get clear of this then I can-" Tony says, not trusting his flight capability, not with the whole bridge crumbling down. The world in on fire around them, the road spiked up, cars piled and falling into the water, the very ground they're standing on shaking and crumbling away.

"Tony- Tony hold up," Peter gasps out, falling limp in his arms. Tony grits his teeth, lowering Peter gently against the nearest car that isn't on fire, the kid pressing both hands to his wound.

“Just- hold on a second-“ Peter coughs out, blood splattering the pavement.

A part of the bridge falls and Tony shields Peter, letting his suit take the hit. He shoves it off him and it rolls until it tumbles over the crack, splashing into the water far below.

"Come on, I'll fly anyway-" Tony insists, trying to loop one under his legs but Peter stops him. 

"It's ok," Peter says, gulping down blood. His eyes are full of pain and each word is an effort to get out. 

"Shut up," Tony hisses, tears coming to his eyes, "Don't you dare talk like that Parker. Come on-"

"You said it yourself," Peter grinned weakly, fumbling for Tony's hand and squeezing it. "We did good."

"Kid," Tony warns, seeing Peter's brown eyes fade through his tears. "Peter!" 

"It's ok," Peter's face crumples and he nods shakily. "It's-" Blood trickles out of his mouth, his fingers sliding slowly off his chest, falling away from his wound and loosening their grip on Tony's hand.

"No, no, no, no, don't do this to me kid. No-" Tony pulls Peter's heavy head up gently, the teen's blood smearing on his hand, but Peter's eyes have closed. He cups Peter's cheek, feeling for a pulse, willing the kid's eyes open, "Peter? PETER!"

"You come back to me Parker, now!" Tony yells brokenly, letting out a sob. In that minute, he breaks completely as Peter falls forward towards his chest. He clutches the back of his head, tears streaming down his cheeks as he holds the kid tighter. "God-" he chokes, whispering, "FRIDAY please..." _Tell me he's alive._

_"We lost him. But he’s back- his pulse is faint Tony. We're losing him- we’ve lost him- he's going in and out- his healing factor is keeping him from-"_

"Get us the hell out of here now," Tony says determinedly, tears streaming down his cheeks as the helmet closes over his face and he picks up Peter's limp form in his arms. The kid feels heavy in his grasp, his head hanging off until Tony tilts it to rest against his shoulder. 

He swerves around the crumbling bridge, holding Peter tightly against his chest before he finally feels the sweet release of open air. "Full thrusts," he chokes out, connecting Peter's vitals to the screen, hearing his heartbeat in his ears. He flies as fast as possible to Stark Tower but it's still not fast enough.

He's about 1 minute out when it happens. 

Peter flat lines. 

And Tony lets out a heart-wrenching scream.

* * *

Peter opens his eyes and blinks harshly, wincing from the bright light. He raises a hand to try and shield his eyes and suddenly cries out at the pain in his stomach. Oh that's right. He got stabbed. He blinks, adjusting quickly and pulls down his bed sheets. 

There is a huge bandage covering his entire middle section and Peter sucks in a deep breath. What if it's...what if it's really bad? What if he won't be able to walk? The thought of not being Spiderman sends Peter into a panic attack. 

He's trying to calm down, recognizing the pain in his stomach now, gripping the bed sheets and trying to calm down. There was a lump in his throat, formed from swallowing tears and he choked, trying to undo the knot in his stomach. He sucked in a breath, trying to exhale without it shaking. His hands were trembling and his head was exploding with pain, the room spinning. 

Breathe Peter...come on. You're better than this. You're stronger than this. 

Peter controlled himself and took a shaky breath, steadying himself. He swallowed forcefully and cleared his throat, wincing. Flexing his hands and wiggling his toes to make sure he could still do that at least, he felt accomplished and looked around the hospital room. 

"FRIDAY?" he croaked. 

_"Hi Peter,"_ she responded sweetly. _"I'm so glad to see you awake."_

"Me...me too..." he said slowly before he frowned. "Didn't I- everything went black- I don't remember-"

 _"You died Peter. 6 times,"_ FRIDAY stated, knowing he wanted the straight answer. 

Peter took a shaky breath, "6 times huh?" Then he muttered, "MJ! Ned! Are they-"

 _"They're fine Peter. They dropped the things on the bedside off this morning,"_ FRIDAY said, calming him down. 

Peter breathed a tight sigh of relief and looked over to his side, sinking into the pillows. He grinned and reached with effort, picking up the small Lego Han Solo that belonged inside the millennium falcon. Tears came to his eyes and he laughed, shaking his head. Then he picked up a piece of paper and unfolded it slowly. 

_Don't die loser...Please. You scared me Spiderman._

_~MJ_

Peter smirked. _Scared you,_ he mouthed. Then his eyes widened and he smacked his hand against his forehead, immediately recoiling as he hit what felt like a long cut and a black eye. Well...MJ knew now too. More people he had put in danger.

"So what, you wake up and then decide not to tell me?"

Peter's head snapped awake and he saw Tony leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. Peter didn't know whether to smile or apologize. So he said it with his gaze, staying quiet. Tony pulled up a chair next to him and settled down in it, putting a hand on his leg and rubbing it. He sees Tony's hand is shaking, he feels it too. His knuckles are ripped up and bruised and the man looks like he hasn’t slept, his eyes plagued with pain and worry.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I got skewered," Peter grinned. 

"Maybe because you did?" Tony nodded.

"Hence the joke," Peter continued smiling.

"Hence why it's not funny," Tony said firmly. 

Peter spoke quietly, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it," Tony snapped. "You almost died."

Peter scowled, not in the mood for a talking to at this moment in time, "I was just-"

"No," Tony cut him off, shaking his head, "I told you not to come in the first place-"

"I had to! My friends were in danger," Peter insisted firmly, kind of mad this escalated so quickly.

"And I said stay out of it," Tony repeated with calm fury, glaring at Peter. "What if somebody had died tonight directly because of you? We got lucky. We both were able to save the people we could, but people died before we got there. And if someone else had died, because of a careless mistake, like taking on that monster by yourself? That would be on you. You would go home, your friends saved, but someone else not. How would that take a toll on you Peter?"

Peter lowered his head, "I-" 

"And if you had died, that's 100% on me. And I don't need that. I don't want that on my conscious Parker. I do not want you in over your head, or blocking my phone calls when I specifically say for you to stay where you are."

"I was trying to help," Peter grumbled.

"Well don't! You're not ready for this," Tony said. 

Peter laughed, spluttering, "Not ready? I am ready, I've proven I'm ready!"

"How, by getting impaled?" Tony scoffed. 

"It's like you don't want my help!" Peter said angrily, looking away from his mentor. 

"No, I don't want you diving into things headfirst like you clearly did tonight," Tony corrected. "It was careless and stupid!"

"It was exactly what you would have done," Peter snarled. 

"And does that make it right?" Tony shot back. 

"You can't ask me to not go and save people," Peter said firmly. 

"Yes I can," Tony hissed. "When it's as bad as yesterday was, yes I can. The world is a dangerous place."

"You don't think I know that?" Peter asked in fury. 

"No, Peter, you don't," Tony said back without missing a beat. "And I make the rules. I tell you to sit out, you sit out, got that?"

Peter glared, "Why?"

"Because I'm trying to make sure you don't die! And you did today Peter, you did die, do you even get that?" Tony shouted.

"Of course I get that, I was the one who did it!"

"Then don't you get that putting yourself in these situations can get you killed!" Tony said in exasperation. 

"So?" Peter asked quietly.

Tony was shocked, "So? Are you kidding me right now Parker?"

"No," Peter said flatly.

"You think you can just save everyone and be the hero don't you?" Tony said sadly, "Think you can sacrifice yourself for the greater good?" 

"Why not?"

"Because-" Tony finally blurted. "I- can't let you- get hurt. I can't."

He shook his head, the fight suddenly leaving him in a wave. "I can't watch that happen ever again, have someone stab you through the stomach and have to come pull your body out of the water that turned red because there was so much blood, or trying to help you stagger out when suddenly you act like your knee buckles and you need a rest, or hold you as you lay there silent, not even screaming, or have you die in my arms Peter, asking you to come back to me-" Tony shook his head furiously, knowing the jumble of words probably didn’t make sense. He finishes, shaking his head, "I'm sorry I can't."

"You don't give a single crap about getting hurt kid, it's awful," he said quieter, Peter watching him with wide eyes, soaking in every word he had said. "You don't care. But do you know what will happen to me if you die? Or if I have to bring you into this med bay in the same state that you were ever again? I might actually break. That might be my last straw. Because you think you can stick yourself out there as a human punching bag, and save the world, but Peter you can't. I learned that the hard way. I don't want you making the same mistake as me, and I don't want you unconcerned about the outcome."

Peter got it now. He really did. He tried to explain himself, "I just-"

"No," Tony's eyes flashed and Peter backed down to let him finish. "What you do, effects the people around you, especially me. It effects all the people left, trying to live in a world without you and you know what? I can't do that. And I almost did. No- I did. You died. And I was holding you. So do me a favor kid, stop being a freaking idiot because you're the closest thing I have to a son and I can't lose you again."

Peter froze and looked up. 

Tony sighed, "Yeah, I said it. You tell any of the Avengers I opened up about my feelings and I'm sticking silly string in your webbing."

Peter smiled slightly and then looked up at Tony with tears in his eyes, "Tony?"

Tony put a hand on his knee again and rubbed it, running a hand through his hair, "Yeah kid?"

Peter didn't say anything. He didn't have to. They spoke right there. They said what was needed to be said with their locked gazes. And then suddenly, Tony stood up so quickly the chair fell back in haste to get to him. There was a spark of visible protectiveness in the man's gaze as he wrapped his arms around Peter. 

"Don't you ever do that again, you understand me?" Tony said quietly, clutching the back of Peter's head. "That was too close."

"Yes sir," Peter said, swallowing a lump in his throat, ignoring the pain in his shoulder as he fisted Tony's jacket in his hands. 

"I will ground you," Tony warned, ruffling his hair. 

Peter smiled, his head resting over Tony's shoulder and he patted him mockingly on the back, "You sound like a dad."

"Yeah, well..." Tony said quietly, hugging Peter tighter. The man was shaking. Peter's eyes closed slightly and he yawned, going a little limp against Tony's side. 

"Get some sleep kiddo," Tony whispered, waiting until Peter fell asleep against him to move him. 

He gently pulls away, lowering Peter softly onto the bed and pillow with a hand behind his neck to support his head. He brushes hair away from the kid’s eyes and grabs his hand, squeezing it tightly. 

“Idiot,” he says fondly.

Then he finally lets the tears fall freely until he too falls asleep with his head in his arms on Peters hospital bed.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope u liked it! Please leave comments and Kudos- they are greatly appreciated! And stay tuned for full work coming soon! It’s in the works as we speak. So glad to be back ❤️  
> Love you all 3000


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